


bonds

by roymustaangs



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bonds, Iruka Week 2021, M/M, Soulmate-ish Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29951874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roymustaangs/pseuds/roymustaangs
Summary: Destiny could work in interesting ways sometimes.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42
Collections: Iruka Week 2021





	bonds

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Iruka Week, prompt two: bonds!

Iruka felt a sharp sting in his chest. This wasn’t the first time he’d felt a random pain somewhere on his body. It had happened occasionally, and the first few times Iruka had gone to see the doctor, but he had been reassured that there was nothing wrong with him.

Now he just moved on once it was over. 

“Kakashi-sensei, you look like you’ve been run over,” Iruka commented as the jonin came in to deliver his mission report. Most notably was a slash right over his right pectoral. Right where Iruka had felt pain earlier in the day. Strange. 

“Not quite,” Kakashi replied, handing over the scroll. Iruka opened it, doing a quick scan of it’s contents. 

“Getting better at these,” Iruka commented, rolling it back up. “Thanks. No corrections needed.” 

“You’re welcome, sensei.” Iruka watched as Kakashi strolled out of the room, but didn’t think anything else of the slash on his chest. He had work to do. 

**********

This time, it was his left arm. A blinding pain, that made him cry out. His students looked concerned, but he comforted them once his pain had passed. He didn’t need them to worry about him. He was perfectly fine. It wasn’t like there was any mark on his body from it. 

Later, as he was working the mission desk, Kakashi came in to hand in a report and Iruka’s eyes couldn’t help but to linger on the rather large gash down his left forearm. “Are you okay, Kakashi-sensei?” 

“I’ll be fine.” Always short answers. Getting anything more out of Kakashi was like pulling teeth. He handed over his mission scroll to Iruka. 

“This looks fine,” Iruka said, scanning over the document. “You’re free to go. Take care of yourself next time.” 

“Yes, sensei,” Kakashi said, waving his right hand as he left the office. 

That was rather curious. But Iruka didn’t have time to dwell, what with all of the ninja coming back from missions this time around. 

**********

The next time it happened, Iruka was sure it had to do with Kakashi being injured. He’d felt a pain on his cheek and found that Kakashi had a wound right across his right cheek, where he’d obviously been cut by a kunai. 

“Anko, have you ever heard of someone having pain where another person is injured? For instance, say I was having pain in my left arm and found that a nin had a gash on their left arm. Is there a possibility it could be related?” he asked as he and the fellow teacher got ramen after school one day. 

“You know, I have. It only happens once in a great while,” Anko said. “I’ve really only read about it. Apparently it’s a symbol of a strong bond. Why, are you actually having the pain?” 

“...Yes.” 

“Oh? And who is the one getting hurt?” 

“...I’d rather not say. But this person and I have no interaction outside of the mission desk, so I find it hard to believe it’s because of a bond.” Iruka poked around his ramen bowl with his chopsticks, not really eating much. 

“Maybe you don’t have the bond yet,” Anko said with a hopeful tone. “It’s very possible that the bond is going to be established and you’re just feeling the effects early.” 

Iruka supposed that could be true. But he highly doubted that the famed copy nin would ever want anything to do with a teacher. Not that he didn’t find Kakashi attractive, because well. Kakashi was attractive. But Iruka was just a chuunin, a teacher at the academy who helped prepare future genin. 

Iruka was heading home when he heard that Naruto had stolen a scroll and was missing. That didn’t sound like his student! He hurried after him, searching all of Naruto’s usual haunts. It was surprising to say the least, when he found that Mizuki had tricked his student into stealing the scroll with forbidden jutsu. It actually hurt that his childhood best friend would have done something like this. 

And Iruka hadn’t hesitated to jump between Naruto and the giant shuriken, the blade digging into his back. He held back his cries of pain for Naruto’s sake, and then watched as Naruto surprised him. He had just failed him that morning, and here he was, demonstrating flawlessly the very technique that he had failed. 

Later, once he was settled in the hospital, Kakashi appeared in his doorway. “Oh, sensei,” Iruka said, scooting up in his bed a little. 

“Did you get hurt?” he asked, but his tone made Iruka think he already knew the answer to that. 

“I did,” Iruka said. “Mizuki got me in my back.” 

Kakashi hummed. “Around how long ago?” he asked. 

Iruka had to pause to think about it. “Maybe an hour?” he offered. He wasn’t sure on the exact timeline. But now he was curious as to why Kakashi was asking. 

“Hmm.” Kakashi looked intrigued, but said no more as he turned and headed for the door. “Be seeing you, sensei.” 

“Be seeing you.” Iruka watched as Kakashi disappeared and was left confused. Why had Kakashi asked him that? What could that have been about? 

**********

The pain all but disappears, but that was because Kakashi was overseeing a team of genin and they didn’t have very many hard missions. But with the academy out for the summer, Iruka was being given missions of his own. Fairly simple, straightforward missions, though he was getting nicked by kunai and shuriken here and there. 

Each time he would come back to the village, Kakashi would inevitably find him to ask how his mission went and if he was feeling okay. It was all very curious. Was Kakashi maybe feeling the pain of his little wounds? Did it go both ways?

“I’m fine, Kakashi-sensei,” Iruka said, rolling his eyes. “I hardly got hurt.” 

“It didn’t feel like that,” Kakashi mumbled. 

“What?” 

Kakashi stared at him. “Well, this may sound crazy, but...I know when you’ve gotten hurt. I...I’ve been feeling it. Ever since Mizuki. At least, I’m pretty sure it’s you. When I see your bandages, they’re always in the same spot that I felt pain,” he said slowly, as if he wasn’t sure how Iruka would react.

Iruka laughed. “I had a feeling,” he said. “I’ve been experiencing the same.” 

“Genma said it’s some kind of bond thing,” Kakashi said. “Which makes sense since I’m in l--” He stopped, eye widening. 

Iruka stared at him. “What?” He surely couldn’t have heard the beginning of that correctly. 

Kakashi cleared his throat. “Which makes sense because I’m in love with you.” 

“ _ What _ ?” Iruka asked. He couldn’t believe he was hearing this. He’d only had a crush on the copy nin for a long time, but to hear that the feelings were not only reciprocated but much deeper was a shock. 

“Sorry. This is not how I imagined telling you, sensei.” 

“And how did you imagine telling me?” Iruka asked, definitely curious now. 

“Maa, does that really matter?” Kakashi asked, waving a hand. Iruka had to laugh. He supposed it didn’t. “I’ve told you now, so. Just tell me you’re not interested and be done.” 

“I don’t think I said that,” Iruka said. “In fact, I would probably argue that this wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t developed feelings for each other. So. I guess I could say I’m in love with you, too.” 

Kakashi’s eye crinkled shut, and Iruka could tell he was smiling under the mask. “Okay, well try not to get hurt anymore,” Kakashi said. “It’s no fun, you know.”    
  
“Oh I know, Mr. I-get-hurt-on-every-mission,” Iruka laughed. “And your injuries are always worse. Now. Are you going to take me to dinner or what?” 

“Oh, bossy are we,” Kakashi asked with an amused tone. 

“When I know what I want,” Iruka answered with a grin. 

“All right then, sensei. Let’s go get some ramen. On me,” Kakashi said, holding out a hand for Iruka. 

“Sure.” Iruka thought it must have been fate, the two of them feeling each other’s pain. Without it, Kakashi might never have admitted his feelings and Iruka would have just continued on as normal, as if he didn’t have a crush on the copy nin. Destiny could work in interesting ways sometimes. 


End file.
